kuro5hin.org || Matrix Reloaded Reviewed

Soundbite: In fact, that's my biggest gripe about this movie: the Wachowski Brothers have turned into George Lucas.

The reviewer sounds like he really wanted to hate the film. The quote is certainly well-deserved - there's a little too much You MUST fulfillll Your Desss-Te-Neeeeeeee about the whole ting - but the look and feel remains cool and the storyline while cliche-ridden is livable. Most importantly, the direction and acting is not as dead as it is in the Star Wars prequels.

UPDATE
OK, I saw the movie at a movie theater now - and I have to agree a little more with K5's reviewer. The Jesus angle is massively overplayed - and overplayed with a rich serving of pseudoreligious and pseudophilosophical nonsense (The Architect is a particularly egregious example of this (to adopt some lingo)). It's just dialogue to pass the time. And boy does it pass. Sitting in a dark, hot theater the movie comes out at least half an hour too long.
On closer inspection, the movie actually has nothing but the name (and sometimes look) of the main characters in common with the first Matrix. It's a Star Wars movie instead, and worse for it. No tight, short dialogue. No cool realism. No mystery. No real surprise. The only great action shot as far as I am concerned is one of the simplest. Namely the Agent jumping with complete disregard for the fall out a window in pursuit of Trinity). That has the simplicity of the first movie's action scenes. Car chases and Neo as superman is just not as compelling. And I didn't even mention the worst thing. THEY ADDED A SIDEKICK! God, how that sucks. I am referring of course to comic relief Link, who plays no role whatsoever (in contrast to Dozer and Tank in the first film).